Joe Root will lead an England Lions side that is strikingly heavy on experience and low on experimentation in a four-day match against New Zealand in Leicester next week.

Root is joined by another likely member of England's team for the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's the following week, his Yorkshire club-mate Jonny Bairstow – who will be the wicketkeeper – and other international regulars of the past or present include Graham Onions, Chris Woakes and Ravi Bopara.

Onions will lead a seam attack also including Warwickshire's Chris Wright and Toby Roland-Jones of Middlesex, with Lancashire's Simon Kerrigan selected as the sole spinner.

Bopara's inclusion confirms that he remains in England's thoughts for Test as well as one-day cricket despite problems on and off the field in recent years, and an underwhelming start to this season which continued on Monday as he was one of 15 batsmen dismissed in Essex's Division Two game against Hampshire. Michael Carberry, who was the first man to go at Chelmsford and like Bopara failed to reach double figures, has also been given encouragement at the age of 32 with his selection to open with Warwickshire's Varun Chopra.

Alastair Cook, who is making the first of two county appearances ahead of the first Test, emerged from the carnage with an unbeaten 25 as Essex reached 72 for five in reply to Hampshire's 197.

Of the Lions squad, England's national selector Geoff Miller said: "With a busy summer of Test cricket ahead, this fixture against New Zealand is an excellent opportunity for our players to show us that they are capable of representing England in the longer format of the game. Joe Root will lead the side in order to assist his development as a cricketer and provide him with valuable experience of captaincy against quality opposition."Root had been due to lead the Lions on a one-day series in Australia during the winter before he was fast-tracked into the senior squad in all three forms of the game in New Zealand after making such an impression in India. There is no place in this team for Ben Stokes or Matt Coles, who were both sent home from what turned out to be a disastrous trip to Australia in January for off-field misbehaviour.

Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, confirmed that the limited-overs coach Ashley Giles will take charge of the "to closely monitor the performances of players who are competing for places in our T20 and ODI sides as well as the Test team".

Giles has certainly avoided any charges of favouring his former employers Warwickshire by selecting Chopra, Woakes and Wright, who will all miss a potentially significant County Championship game against Middlesex at Edgbaston. Yorkshire will also lose Root and Bairstow for their game against Somerset, who will be especially relieved that Bairstow has been selected ahead of their wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.

After all the concern over whether Buttler would receive sufficient experience with the gloves at Somerset this season, he will now be given an unexpected run in the Championship team after Craig Kieswetter suffered a broken thumb on the last day of their draw against Warwickshire in Taunton at the weekend, which will rule him out for four to six weeks.New Zealand are due to arrive on Tuesday and start their short tour on Saturday with a three-day game against Derbyshire.Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, added: "Our new limited overs head coach Ashley Giles will be part of the Lions management team for this fixture and this will enable Ashley to closely monitor the performances of players who are competing for places in our T20 and ODI sides as well as the Test team."

New Zealand arrive this week and start their short tour on Saturday with a three-day game against Derbyshire.

Pakistan have become the first team to confirm their 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy, which will be their first visit to England since the spot-fixing scandal in 2010, and omitted the former captain Shahid Afridi.